The melodious time machine

AHMEDABAD: As sonorous voice of Mallika Pukhraj resonates with ‘Abhi To Main Jawan Hoon,’ another event of city-based Gramophone Club starts. Adopted almost as an anthem for the club, the song itself says a lot about this 18-year old club of, for and by aficionados of Hindi film music between 1930s and 1960s. Played at start of every event of the club, it reminds the members that they are young at heart and of course, the music that we listen to is evergreen,” says Mahesh Shah, president of the club.
Established in 1996, the club organized its 100th event earlier this month. Midst the score of clubs with central theme of Hindi film music, the Gramophone Club stands apart due to its efforts to look at the entire process of creating everlasting music and imagery.
Love in the air-waves
When the era of audio cassettes was yet to rise, radio played an important part in taking the Hindi film music to listeners. Most of the initial members of the club got hooked to the songs through stations such as Radio Ceylon. “An interesting thing happened in 1950s when the focus gradually shifted from Urdu to Hindi as primary language of film song lyrics. Directly it increased the reach of the medium and indirectly it integrated the nation through melodies and lyrics,” says Shah. What started as sharing of the personal collection of such songs with close-knit group later laid foundation stone of the formal club. Shah says that the 100th event in a way celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema in all its hues and moods.
Bringing stars closer to fans
Milan Joshi, secretary of the club, says that Shamshad Begum, singer of classics such as ‘Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar’ and ‘Le Ke Pehla Pehla Pyaar’ came to the city honouring the invite by the club at the age of 92 years acknowledging the love and affection. “What initially was engagement of half an hour due to her health conditions stretched to more than three hours as she enjoyed the event and shared her journey,” he says.
The club has been successful in bringing cinema luminaries such as Anil Biswas, Asha Parekh, Dilip Dholakia, Jagmohan, Kamini Kaushal, Meena Kapoor, Naushad, Nimmi, Parikshit Sahani, Ravi, Shamshad Begum and Waheeda Rehman to the city and present artist-specific events. The guests open up to the learned audience and often provide glimpse of the process that goes behind making the classics.
Time Machine to the bygone era
Geeta Shah, an organizing member, says that it is no surprise that most of the members are senior citizens who have enjoyed the golden era of music. “When they listen to these songs, they relive the bygone era. We have seen the couples holding their hands to the tunes of a romantic number. It also works as a support system for them as the melodies provide joie de vivre,” she says.
She adds that the members make it a point to attend an event as the calendar of the members revolve around the five annual events. Many even come from other cities to be part of the experience.
Curator of lilting tunes
The club is known for organizing theme-based events. The officials point out that apart from film star, music director, lyricist or genre-specific songs, they have also organized events focusing on specific studios, folk songs, Rabindra Sangeet, Gujarati music and classical renditions. The club has several publications to its credit that has documented the efforts.
"We have been able to cultivate a learned audience for such an effort over the years due to our tendency to look at music and lyrics differently. If we were just listening to old songs, it would have been any other club but we carefully curate themes and painstakingly select the songs to be presented in the four-hour event. We also dig out the relevant history," says Joshi.